


Cues

by rainbowanatomy



Category: Quantico (TV)
Genre: M/M, blood mention, but not detailed at all, mention of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 18:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8023813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowanatomy/pseuds/rainbowanatomy
Summary: Will wasn't going to miss the cue Caleb didn't have the guts to give.





	Cues

**Author's Note:**

> WHY IS THIS SUCH A CUTE SHIP I'M DYING.  
> DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED IT, YOU'D KNOW IT.

Caleb watched Will over his book. His roommate was staring into his sock drawer, which consisted of thirty pairs of the same socks.   
"The great sock dilemma," Caleb joked. Will gave one laugh without turning to him. "You know those are all the same pair, right?"  
"They aren't," Will shot back. Caleb raised an eyebrow and put his book down to go over to his roommate.   
"Could've fooled me, buddy."   
Will lifted a pair, a brief glimpse of his chart underneath, then replaced them. He repeated this.  
"All right," Caleb relented as the silence stretched on, "Spill."  
"Spill?" Will asked, turning his head half way to cock an eyebrow.   
"Tell me how this pair of socks is different from this one?" He held two aloft in his hands, waggling them in Will's face. His roommate snatched them and hugged them to his chest.

"Don't do that," he hissed. Caleb held up his hands in surrender, taking a step back. It was rare to hear the ferociousness in Will's voice, and it scared him, though he'd never admit it. Will took a deep breath. "Do you actually want to know, Caleb? About my socks?"  
Caleb splayed a cocky smile across his lips, propping his elbow on the dresser and resting his head in his palm.  
"Yeah, man, tell me about them."

"Well," he continued, waving one of the pairs in his palm, "This pair I wore the first time I went hiking with my dad after twelve years. He was sick. Wanted to go out one last time. When we got to the top of the mountain, he showed me the test results. They were clear. I know these are those socks because the raspberry jam I spilled never quite washed out on the sole." He separated the pair and turned one over, a faint red mark on the dark grey. He folded them up and put it away. He held the other one up. "I wore these the first day of training. I got mud in my shoe and it messed up the pattern here." He pointed to the hem, which was slightly frayed, then pushed them back into the drawer.

"Wow," Caleb chuckled, "You're crazy."  
"That was a joke, right?" Will clarified.  
"Yes, yes it was," he reassured his roommate and clapped his shoulder once. "What else can you do?"  
"I can read palms, if you want." He took removed Caleb's elbow from his dresser and cupped that hand in both of his, not offering a pause to decide. He studied the lines quietly, running a finger over each of them.  
"Um...," Caleb started, finding himself studying the top of Will's head. Will's hands were soft, massaging Caleb's palm. The seconds went on to a minute, before Will looked up, eyes darting around Caleb's face. The air crackled; he couldn't breathe, like his inhale was filled with ash. 

It was unexpected. Caleb had never seen Will express any attraction to anyone, but here they both were, met in an awkward kiss. Had Will's lips always been this soft? Had he always wondered what this would be like? No, never. Well... 

Will got a good grip in Caleb's hair, tugging gently as he deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue across Caleb's lips for permission. Caleb opened his mouth to let it in, an unwitting whimper catching in his throat. Will turned them around gently, before pushing Caleb up against the door, slamming it shut before anyone could breech their privacy. Caleb groaned as his back hit the wood, but the sound was swallowed by Will's mouth. His hands hung limp at his side, but when Will's hips pressed against his own, they reached up, clinging to the back of Will's shirt, unsure if he was trying to pull him off or pull him closer. For a heartbeat, he held on tight. Will broke away to line a trail of kisses down his neck, eliciting another moan from Caleb. Then he let go, pushing Will away with a little more force than he intended. 

Will's face was pink as he panted to catch his breath. Caleb ran a hand through his hair, fixing it, the other one tugging at his chest like he could pull his skin off. He was on fire. He gripped the doorknob behind him, twisting.  
"I'm sorry, Caleb," Will stammered, shaking his head, "Was I not supposed to-"   
His voice cut off as Caleb left, shutting the door behind him. His classmates glanced at him as he exploded out into the hallway, his face red and his fists clenched around the hem of his shirt, keeping it blocking his zipper. He avoided Shelby's eye as he stormed passed, into one of the bathrooms.   
He locked the stall door behind him and leaned against it, one hand unzipping his pants, the other clenched over his jaw, silencing himself as he imagined what could have happened if only he wasn't a coward.

\---

And he was the biggest coward he knew. Who else would find themselves in a back alley, knuckles white, surrounded by the ones he was supposed to be studying, taking down from the inside. Who else would find themselves looking into the eyes that had been so curious and innocent when they kissed? Caleb squared his fist at the barking command and hit Will. Behind his punch was fury - how _dare_ someone reduce him to this coward?  
_Again_ , came the command, and they wrapped his fingers around a lead pipe. And _again_ and _again_ and _again_. Shelby's voice shouting at them to stop barely reached his ears. The only thing he could hear was the dull thumb of his fist and the lead pipe slamming against Will's warm, warm body. It rang in his ears, a deafening roar. He let the Sistemics drag him away as Shelby ran to Will, who slumped down, unconscious and bleeding. Caleb's own hands were stained. Underneath the blood, he could still feel Will's fingers, soft against his palms. 

_Coward._

\---

"Knock, knock."   
The voice came from the doorway of Will's hospital room. He grimaced.  
"Is the response your looking for 'who's there?' or something else?" he quipped, pulling the blanket further over his body, covering his face.   
"Nope, that's the response."   
"I'm not talking to you, Caleb, you can't tell me what to do anymore."  
Footsteps as Caleb came over to the bed.  
"I'm not here to tell you what to do, Will." He hated the pain that stained his tongue as he spoke.   
"Then why are you here?" There was fury seething in Will's voice, a fury that was unlike anything Caleb had ever heard.  
"I want to apologize." Caleb gently pulled back the bedsheets. His stomach jumped to his throat. Half of Will's face was purple with bruises. Caleb clenched his fist, knuckles littered with the imprint that he had left in Will's jaw.   
"And why should I forgive you? I trusted you, Caleb, I tried to help you and all signs point to you betraying me."  
Tears welled in Caleb's eyes, he gritted his teeth so force them back.   
"I don't expect you to," he muttered, "But I'm sorry, Will. I'm so fucking _sorry_ for hurting you. I... I just-"  
"Are you upset because I kissed you, Caleb?" Will cut him off. Caleb jerked his head up, managing to stare into Will's one swollen and one bright eye.   
"No! Never, I-" His words twisted in his throat, fighting to come out. To silence them, he leaned down, capturing Will's lips on his own. Tears began to roll down his cheeks, staining the kiss with salt.   
"Ouch," Will groaned. Caleb jerked back, reaching a hand to stroke Will's split lip with his thumb.  
"I'm so sorry, Will," he repeated, "Please don't forgive me." He forced himself to laugh, brushing away his tears with his bruised knuckles. "You know what?"  
"What?" Will whispered, reaching up to take one of Caleb's hands in his.   
"I didn't deserve that kiss. The first one. I like to delude myself into thinking I'm too good for everyone. But that's a crazy lie. I wasn't good enough for Shelby... And I don't know what you want from me, Will, but I'm not good enough for you." Caleb held his breath as he shook Will's hand off.   
"Caleb-"  
"You should stay away from me. I'm just going to keep hurting you. I'm not a good person... I can't give you what you want."   
"I don't _want_ to stay away from you, Caleb," Will whispered, the strength he had gained from their FBI training shining through," Not _ever. _" Caleb felt his heart twist in his chest.__ "You should want to." "Do you even know what _you_ want, Caleb?" Will asked, knitting the sheet between his fingers.   
"I haven't really had time to think, Will. Two weeks ago you kissed me after we talked about socks and I couldn't look you in the eye, and then yesterday, I almost beat the life out of you. That doesn't make knowing what I want easy." Caleb pulled the guest chair over to the side of the bed and collapsed into it, running one hand through his hair, the other tugging at his chest. He was on fire. They both stayed silent, Caleb fixated on the floor, Will watching the top of his head, a smile flashing across his swollen face at the memory of gripping that hair.  
_"Attention friends and family members: Hospital visiting hours end in five minutes."_  
Caleb dragged his gaze from the floor, meeting Will's gentle gaze.  
"Right now, what I know I want is for you to get better," Caleb murmured.   
"The skin is much, much tougher than the soul," Will answered. He gave a short bark of laughter in response, a pitiful strangled sound of self-loathing. "Fuck, I can't believe I gave you that black eye," he cursed, "I'll catch you later, bud."  
He stood, pressing their hands together for a moment.   
"They're releasing me in two days. Do you want to talk then, Caleb?" Will asked. There was a quiet plea in those eyes. Caleb nodded slowly.  
"I'd like that a lot, Will," he murmured, leaning down to give a gentle kiss, conscious of the split lip. When he pulled away, Will's eyes were bright. He crossed to the door and paused to look over his shoulder. Will smiled back at him.  
"I'll see you then?" Will asked for reassurance. Caleb tugged his shirt again, nodding.  
"Yes," he promised, fire scorching his throat, "See you then."


End file.
